Erotic Flash Fiction Publishers: A Non-Exhaustive List

Sometimes you just want to skip to the good parts. Because you’re impatient. Because you’re revved up and ready to go. Because sometimes instant gratification is sexier than any tease.

Because when a story is focused on a single idea, act, or scene, it has room to explore more depths than a bigger piece with a lot to cover. Because a brief story honed to a knife’s edge of eroticism can haunt you longer than a novel. Because a flash fic can be the written equivalent of a porn gif, and we fucking love those.

Because stories are stories, and we fucking love those, and the shorter the stories are the more we can devour.

This goes for writers as much as readers. I love to write flash fiction for the same reasons I love reading it, in all my impatient, curious, prying, pulsing, greedy glory.

So this list of Erotic Flash Fiction publishers is meant to appeal to both readers and writers. It’ll talk a bit about the style of each publication, and then provide information for submitting to it. It’s based on my personal notes. Erotic short fiction is a fast-moving market, with new places opening every year and some classics shutting their doors far too soon. These are all open to read and/or submit to at the time of this post’s publication. In the interests of full disclosure (and yeah, a bit of self-promotion), I’ll mention if I’ve been published at a particular market, but don’t read anything into this. I mean, the places that have published me are fucking awesome and you should totally check them out. But check out the others, too.

Some markets pay money, and some pay only in exposure. All accept stories <1000 words, but some also accept and even prefer longer short stories. Some also take poetry. Many publications showcase erotic fiction alongside art, photography, and video, so be forewarned not all linked sites are SFW. In fact, assume that they’re not.

Bright Desire: Among its feminist, sex-positive subscriber content, Bright Desire posts fiction about once a month. The editor says, “I’m looking for stories that are more than just a sex scene. Blow-by-blow accounts of sex are boring. I want to see stories with interesting scenarios and fascinating characters; stories that explore the issues and emotions surrounding sex.”

I’ve sold three stories to Bright Desire: “Her Perfume” (f/f),“For Myself” (masturbation), and”If You Were My Lover” (hard to classify).

For the Girls: High-quality short and flash fiction featured once a month. “[S]uccinct, erotic pieces that successfully get an idea across in a small number of words. Cleverness is encouraged, as is out-and-out dirty hotness.” Also, “Stories can cover any topic, however it must be erotic in nature, relatively explicit, sex positive and be written expressly for female readers. Female protagonists are preferred.”

Payment is $15 for flash fiction from 300-500 words and $25 for erotic fiction up to 2000 words. The guidelines are very similar to Bright Desire (both are edited by Ms. Naughty), but they are different websites. Full guidelines are here: http://www.forthegirls.com/writers.html

Bust: There’s nothing quite like getting your smut in a glossy magazine, in between interviews with trailblazing women, fashion photography, and articles on everything from pop culture to feminist wedding planning. Bust’s “One-Handed Read” section features cliche-busting hotness between 800-900 words (stories longer than 900 words are accepted, but will be cut down to size during their thorough editing process). Pay numbers aren’t listed in the website but from the experience of writers who have worked with them (including yrs truly), it’s a $50 gig, plus a gorgeous and thought-provoking contributor’s copy.

My femdom story “Breakfast Time” appeared in the August/September 2016 issue.

Nerve: How does one begin to describe Nerve? Check out their Fiction and Experiences tabs for the erotic, bold, and intriguing.

If you’ve got work of your own to share, Nerve takes 300-2500 words through their Nerve Writers Network membership application. Pay is $300 provided the article gets 40,000 unique visitors in a month. Writers should also provide an image to which they have the rights to post alongside the story.

I appeared in Nerve in October 2015 with “A Tender Thing,” another femdom piece.

Aotearotica: This print journal offers “a clever, modern and stylish erotica and work exploring sex, sexuality or gender expression, with a preference for a distinct New Zealand flavour. ”

Payment is NZD$50 and a contributor’s copy for fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, art or graphic narratives. Written work <3000 words. To submit or order a copy, see: http://aotearotica.co.nz/

However, this appears to be an unpaid credit (except for exposure on the website) and there is a reading fee for stories longer than 5,000 words. This is what makes me think of it as a market mainly for short-short fiction. For more information and to read the online issues: https://www.omniavanitasreview.com/submit

Circlet Microfiction: This publisher of erotic science fiction and fantasy publishes short-short stories of 250-1000 on its blog. “Microfictions should be sex-positive. literary quality, and although they may be explicit should be tastefully written.” Their focus is on sf/f more than horror, but they do publish a special round of stories around Halloween. Pay is $5 per microfiction. For submission guidelines, see: http://www.circlet.com/writers-guidelines/

I’ve had several microfictions published on Circlet’s website. You can read them here.

Cliterature Journal: This erotic journal with a timeless title releases issues on themes including everything from “Voice” to “Technology” to “Sisterhood” to “Patriarchy.” They take submissions of prose, poetry, and nonfiction up to 10 pages. Compensation is exposure. See guidelines: https://cliteraturejournal.com/submit/

Cliterature: A similar title but different aesthetic, this website publishes fiction not in issues but in tagged categories. Check ’em out: http://www.cliterature.org/content/submissions (Like the other Cliterature, compensation is in exposure, though no length guidelines are given)

Math Magazine: If you’re having algebra flashbacks, fear not: this is a “playful & provocative print quarterly for adults” out of Brooklyn. The deliberately bland cover is a tribute to old-time porn that had to be discreet on the newstand.

If you’re having algebra flashbacks, and it’s turning you on, maybe you should write for them. But submissions need not be arithmetically inclined. In any event, check Math out here: https://www.math-mag.com/

Body Parts Magazine: Eros and Thanatos combine in this magazine that embraces the speculative, the surreal, the erotic, the horrific. They publish flash fiction as well as short stories up to 8,000 words, plus essays, interviews, artwork, and photography. Take note of their issue themes–Alchemy, Grave Robbing, Metempsychosis, and more–and view their submission guidelines here: http://www.bodypartsmagazine.com/submissions.html Payment goes from $5-$20 depending on category and length.

Bare Back Magazine: Their mission statement says “The human back is a reflection of the soul. It is our vision that, a back that is bare tells a story, is strong, and is sexy. It is our mission to feature stories, poetry and art that reflects this vision.” They have online archives of both fiction and poetry. Pay is $3 per story for stories from 800-2000 words; $1 per poem. Guidelines here: http://www.barebackmag.com/submissions

Honeydew Erotic Review: This deliciously named magazine releases themed issues of work that’s “hard, …dark (grey), and we like it pretty damn spicy.” Feminist and LGBTQ welcome. Also, though they like it “dark,” “Happy endings are good.” Length of story not specified, so long as there’s a clear beginning, middle, and end.

Pink Litter: Editor Misty Rampart says, “Our project is an attempt to marry what some might call “beautiful” and what still others might call “obscene.” ” Both poetry and flash fiction are accepted. Payment appears to be through exposure, facilitated by a 30 word author bio with social networking links, which should be included in your submission. https://pinklitter.wordpress.com/guidelines/

Please note two things: first, the website for Heather is http://www.hthrprss.com/ (the other Heather Magazine is “an Australian online publication championing women in music.” Which is also awesome). Second, the editor-in-chief’s name is Kelsey, not Heather.

Erotic Review: A nonprofit “literary lifestyle publication about sex and sexuality aimed at sophisticated, intelligent readers” that’s been running since 1995. The website is just its latest incarnation, and publishes reviews, articles, and videos alongside fiction. As a nonprofit, it’s an unpaid publication credit. See guidelines at: “http://eroticreviewmagazine.com/contributor-guidelines/